Armenians in Spain (; ) refers to ethnic

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

living in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. They number around 40,000, centred in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, and

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. Spain was the fourth most popular country of destination for

emigrating Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

Armenians in 2011. Arnedo - Crucero-memorial del Genocidio Armenio 1

Before 2009 There were no Armenian churches in Spain, until one was opened in a small town near

in August that year. Most Armenians in Spain belong to the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

. The number of Armenian Sunday schools in Spain is on the rise. Most Armenians speak

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

and Spanish. Much emigration from Armenia following

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

has been directed to the EU, including Spain, along with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

Even if the presence of individual Armenians in the territory of current-day Spain dates back at least to the Middle Ages, their number increased in the early modern period, settling from the 16th century on in main trading cities such as

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, attracted to the increasing commercial activity in the realms of the Hispanic Monarchy, playing an important role in the Persian

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

trade. Despite an early social and commercial success, their reputation deteriorated in the 17th century for a number of reasons, including the preponderance over the import of cheap fabrics exerted by Armenian merchants, the strife of Spanish Crown-funded

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

against other Christian groups for control over the

Holy Places Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bless ...

, and some got likewise to the point of accusing local Armenians of covert allegiances to the Sublime Porte.

Notable people

Garik Israelian Garik Israelian ( hy, Գարիկ Իսրայելյան, born 1963 or 1968) is an Armenian-Spanish astrophysicist and founder of the Starmus Festival. He and colleagues found the first observational evidence that supernova explosions are respons ...

* Hovik Keuchkerian * Jaime Matossian *

Ara Malikian Ara Malikian (born 1968) is a Lebanese-born violinist of Armenian descent. He was educated in Germany and now based in Spain. Biography Born in Beirut, Lebanon in September 14th, 1968 to an Armenian family, Malikian started playing the violin a ...

References

External links

Armenian Cultural Association of BarcelonaHayastan Armenian Association of AlicanteIAN Spanish-speaking website of Armenians from Spain and Latin America

Ethnic groups in Spain {{Spain-stub

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links